In This Lifetime Alone
by J. Maria
Summary: Each person has their turn to spin fortune's wheel, and sometimes their 'luck' trickles down to everyone else. Based on a random Game of Life playing. Warnings: death, noncrossover, future fic.
1. Remember to Use Your Heart

Title: In This Lifetime Alone  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-13  
Disclaimers/Spoilers: Joss owns the Buffy crew, I own the newbies.  
Summary: We only get this one lifetime alone to own, the rest is out of our hands…  
A/N: I was bored, and playing the Game of Life with random players and used Buffy characters - thus this story.

**In This Lifetime Alone**

_1. Remember to Use Your Heart_

Dawn Summers held her sons hands tightly as she led them through the gates of the graveyard. The sun was bright on her face as she stared straight ahead of herself. A lot of people were here, to say goodbye. There had been too many goodbyes in the last few years. The memorial service for Angel had been tough on Connor, Buffy, and even Dawn herself. The boys hadn't understood it, not really. How could someone as young as Grandpa Angel be gone?

Alexander Rupert Angel and William Wesley Angel were six years old, the only offspring of the Destroyer and the Key, and luckily had no prophecies surrounding their births. For once, there were normal kids in the Angel and Summers lines. As far as they were concerned they had three grandpas - Angel, Hank Summers, and Rupert Giles, and two grandmas - Darla and Joyce Summers. Only one of them was really left now, and that was Giles. And one thing these two little boys had had too much of were funerals.

Angel had been killed less than a year ago in a demon attack, and neither Connor or Dawn could explain to little Alex and Billy why he wasn't coming back. Joyce and Darla had never even met their grandchildren, let alone the mate that their children had picked. And as for Hank Summers, he wanted to be left alone in Spain with his newest and youngest secretary.

"Mommy, who's in the box?" Alex asked, tugging on Dawn's sleeve.  
"Cooper's mommy, Miss Rona?" Dawn said sadly, remembering the young slayer she'd once shared a house with. Rona was the first of the original Potential slayers to die since the Battle against the First Evil. Kennedy, Vi, and Rona had been the last of the original six. Now they were down to two.  
"Hey runts," Kit Trejo's voice startled Dawn out of her thoughts. Carlos and Kit had gotten married two years into Watcher's training, and had been going strong ever since. They had a three year old daughter name Matilda Rose, who was currently snuggling up against her father's shoulder.  
"Aunt Kit!" The boys screeched, hugging their favorite Aunt.  
"Why don't you go cheer up Coop? He's been pulling at that tie all morning," Kit grinned, nodding over to the little boy.

Dawn's heart clenched. Cooper Williams was Rona's only child, and now that his mother was gone, he truly had no one. Rona Cooper Williams had lost the love of her life, Jacob Williams three years ago to vampires. Now all that was left was their son.

"How's he holding up?" Dawn whispered.  
"Better than we could hope for. He's staying with Robin and Faith. Rona left him to her," Kit sighed, hugging her friend. "Where's C?"  
"Doing the detective thing," Dawn's voice caught. "We're losing too many, Kit."  
"Carlos said something about that. How's Buffy?"  
"Still asleep."  
"And Spike?"  
"He and Illyria haven't left her side in days. Giles is freaking."  
"One of his girls is dead, and the other is in a coma, wouldn't you be freaking too?"  
"Who says I'm not?"  
"And the boys? Buffy's boys?" Kit prodded.  
"Spike and Illyria wanted to take care of Liam and Henry. But they've both got their hands full."

Liam and Henry Summers were Buffy's twelve year old gifts from the Powers. She'd never found out who their fathers were, but Dawn had a suspicion that they were the offspring of both Angel and Spike. Mainly because they reminded her so much of the vampires, in both looks and attitude. Henry had dark hair and eyes, like Angel had, but had Spike's spunk. Liam had a lot of Spike's coloring, but Angel's tendency to brood.

A week ago, Buffy and Rona had headed an emergency rescue operation with a few of the younger slayers. The Council still wasn't sure what had really happened, but none the less, they had lost one of the senior slayers and the Council head was in a coma. Rupert Giles had paced back and forth in Buffy's room for two days, and he wasn't alone. Spike, Xander Harris and Willow Rosenberg had joined him less than an hour later. Connor and Dawn hadn't been far behind, but someone had needed to break the news to the boys.

"So you and Connor have them?"  
"For now. Gunn's been watching them when he can, and Faith and Robin too. Andrew even offered to pitch in."  
"Sounds like everybody loves them."  
"They do. They're so much like her, and it's hard not to love Buffy," Dawn said tightly. "Buffy's gonna pull through this. She's beaten death before. Twice even."  
"Yeah, you're right," Kit said quietly.


	2. Rockin' Horse

Title: In This Lifetime Alone  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-13  
Disclaimers/Spoilers: Joss owns the Buffy crew, I own the newbies.  
Summary: We only get this one lifetime alone to own, the rest is out of our hands…  
A/N:

_2. Rockin' Horse_

Spike worried more than he would have liked to worry. The Nibblet had always brought it out in him, and then Fred had, before Big Blue had taken her over. Now it was the Slayer's turn to make him worry. The bloody soul didn't help much either. Besides there were more of them to worry about now anyway. The Nibblet's and the Spawn's boys, the Slayer's boys, the Whelp's litter, and even Red's bunch meant something to him. His own strays and Blue's science projects were also worth considering.

Two little twin girls had fallen into his lap five years ago, not much older than three and had stuck to him like glue enough to that he ended up keeping them. Joy and Hope were destined to be slayers, and he could make up a bit of his debt by raising and training them.

Two years ago, just before Angel had died for good, they'd tracked down Dru. The psychotic vampiress was in the middle of devouring a foster home when Spike had caught up to her. Three children had died, along with their foster parents before he'd caught up to her. The foster mother had managed to hide a year old little boy in the closet, obviously hoping to save the boy from the rest of their shared fate. Spike had dusted Dru without remorse. He'd been the one to find the little boy. So his girls had gotten a little brother, whom they named Randy. Spike had found himself being a domesticated vampire within the span of five years.

Randy had bright blue eyes and brown, wavy hair, while both of the girls had black hair and dark eyes. And yet they worked. Buffy and Illyria had helped him the first few years with the girls, and then again with little Randy. Buffy's boys were nearly grown now at twelve, and Illyria's homemade brood were just a bit younger than Buffy's boys.

As the years had gone on, more of Fred emerged in Illyria, and many more human desires. In her deepest heart of hearts, Illyria still loved Wesley, and wanted a bit of him to remember. Giles had found some sources for the demon. With Fred's know-how and Illyria's will, within one year of her research she had a little hybrid girl named Anne after Wesley's mother. She had Wesley's eyes and nose, and the rest was pure Fred, with the exception of her blue streaked hair. Eleven years later, illyria had done it twice more resulting in Wesley Jr., and her own set of twin girls Delia and Darla. After the twins were born, she'd smiled at Spike and said, "The genetic sequences are carried on."

A new generation was growing up around the Scoobies and the Fang Gang, and just as quickly the old one was slipping away. Angel and Rona were gone. Buffy was barely hanging on. Spike laid his hand on Buffy's still fingers.

"You've gotta pull through, Slayer. The world's not ready for you to go just yet."  
"_But I am, Spike."_

Spike jerked away from her, his eyes landing on the wall across from Buffy's bed. She stood there, looking healthier than she had in years. She smiled at him, like she had when he'd died in the Hellmouth, all those years ago. She wore white as she looked down sadly at her broken body. Slayers healed quickly, but they weren't immortal. A broken back was still broken for a slayer. Her eyes landed on the two teenagers buried under Spike's little ones. He couldn't tear them away from their mother even if he'd wanted to.

"_My boys will need one of their fathers to stay strong, Spike. I need you to watch over them for me now, like you did with Dawn all those years ago. They'll be good men, one day."_  
"I don't know anything about being a good man, love. I'm a bit of a monster."  
"_You cared even when you were a monster, and William was a good man. Just don't give them cigarettes and booze, and no kitten poker!"_  
"And slaying?"

Buffy looked sadly at the twin boys behind him. Tears slipped down her cheeks, both on the glowing apparition and the comatose woman. Spike squeezed her cool fingers tightly.

"_It's their destiny. Just keep them alive and safe, Spike. For as long as you can?"_  
"They'll live to be old gray haired men, Slayer."  
"_Tell Dawnie and Connor that I love them."_  
"I will."  
"_I love you, Spike." _Buffy whispered.  
"You don't. But thanks for saying it anyway," Spike clenched his jaw as the monitor started beating erratically.  
"_I always will._"

Buffy Summers slipped out of this world quietly for a change. The oldest living chosen slayer died at the age of thirty-nine for the third and final time.


	3. The Moonflower

Title: In This Lifetime Alone  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-13  
Disclaimers/Spoilers: Joss owns the Buffy crew, I own the newbies.  
Summary: We only get this one lifetime alone to own, the rest is out of our hands…  
A/N:

_4. Supergirl_

Dawn did her best to keep her calm the second the blonde haired woman sauntered into the café Buffy had picked out for her memorial luncheon. Nina was the only name she knew her by, but Dawn had called her several other names over the last four years since the big disaster at Angel's memorial service. Connor tensed as he carefully pulled Dawn and the boys behind him, as if he was shielding them from the werewolf.

Willow and Oz tensed across the room, probably tasting the power rolling off the vampire. Dawn could see Graham and Amy Miller tensing as well, while Faith and Riley cracked their knuckles. Gunn and Spike looked close to snarling, and Giles was furiously swiping at his glasses. Xander was carefully extracting the younger children away. Dawn smiled at him. He still saw so much.

"Mom, you promised," a hand squeezed Nina's shoulder. "We're only here to pay our respects to Ms. Summers."

Dawn frowned, leaning around Connor's shoulder to get a look at the girl who was speaking. She had Nina's build, but her hair was a deep brown. Her eyes locked onto Dawn's, sending a shiver down the older woman's spine. It was as if she was looking at Angel's eyes all over again. She had his mouth and his eyes. Only two other people had those exact traits - Connor and Henry.

"I would if that -" Nina snarled.  
"I'd watch what you say about the dead if I were you, Nina," Dawn snapped, shocking herself. "My sister might not be here to defend her name, but I've got no problem kicking your ass for her."  
"Mom," the girl grabbed for Nina when she started to lunge. The smaller girl restrained her mother, which was no easy task. It was nearing the full moon cycle, and Nina's strength would be rising. "We didn't come here to pick a fight."  
"Jenny, you don't have to explain anything to them."  
"Jenny?" Giles frowned, looking older than he was. "That's your name?"  
"I was named after - after someone my father hurt," Jenny said quietly, locking eyes with the watcher.  
"Angel was the only one who -" Willow's eyes widened.  
"Are you tryin' to say that _She's_ Angel's daughter?" Spike snorted. "Sorry luv, only one miracle child per souled vampire."  
"Really? Then what's _that_ supposed to be? Excess run-off?" Nina snarled, pointing her finger at Henry, who'd gone a bit pale. Liam stepped protectively in front of his twin, glaring at Nina and Jenny.  
"Mom," Jenny pleaded, pulling her mother back again. "Will you please stop? How are we supposed to ask them for help if you keep -"  
"What kind of help?" Dawn frowned, locking her eyes on the younger girl.  
"We're having trouble with vampires in L.A."  
"Vamps in L.A., what a shock," Gunn snorted.  
"Yeah, well, I've never been able to kill them so easily before, so it was a big shock," Jenny crossed her arms in a pose Angel would have been proud of. "And they've never sought me out before."

"Are you trying to say that you're a -" Dawn blinked a few times.  
"Angel's love child's a slayer?" Spike cried.


	4. Supergirl

Title: In This Lifetime Alone  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-13  
Disclaimers/Spoilers: Joss owns the Buffy crew, I own the newbies.  
Summary: We only get this one lifetime alone to own, the rest is out of our hands…  
A/N:

_4. Supergirl_

Dawn did her best to keep her calm the second the blonde haired woman sauntered into the café Buffy had picked out for her memorial luncheon. Nina was the only name she knew her by, but Dawn had called her several other names over the last four years since the big disaster at Angel's memorial service. Connor tensed as he carefully pulled Dawn and the boys behind him, as if he was shielding them from the werewolf.

Willow and Oz tensed across the room, probably tasting the power rolling off the vampire. Dawn could see Graham and Amy Miller tensing as well, while Faith and Riley cracked their knuckles. Gunn and Spike looked close to snarling, and Giles was furiously swiping at his glasses. Xander was carefully extracting the younger children away. Dawn smiled at him. He still saw so much.

"Mom, you promised," a hand squeezed Nina's shoulder. "We're only here to pay our respects to Ms. Summers."

Dawn frowned, leaning around Connor's shoulder to get a look at the girl who was speaking. She had Nina's build, but her hair was a deep brown. Her eyes locked onto Dawn's, sending a shiver down the older woman's spine. It was as if she was looking at Angel's eyes all over again. She had his mouth and his eyes. Only two other people had those exact traits - Connor and Henry.

"I would if that -" Nina snarled.  
"I'd watch what you say about the dead if I were you, Nina," Dawn snapped, shocking herself. "My sister might not be here to defend her name, but I've got no problem kicking your ass for her."  
"Mom," the girl grabbed for Nina when she started to lunge. The smaller girl restrained her mother, which was no easy task. It was nearing the full moon cycle, and Nina's strength would be rising. "We didn't come here to pick a fight."  
"Jenny, you don't have to explain anything to them."  
"Jenny?" Giles frowned, looking older than he was. "That's your name?"  
"I was named after - after someone my father hurt," Jenny said quietly, locking eyes with the watcher.  
"Angel was the only one who -" Willow's eyes widened.  
"Are you tryin' to say that _She's_ Angel's daughter?" Spike snorted. "Sorry luv, only one miracle child per souled vampire."  
"Really? Then what's _that_ supposed to be? Excess run-off?" Nina snarled, pointing her finger at Henry, who'd gone a bit pale. Liam stepped protectively in front of his twin, glaring at Nina and Jenny.  
"Mom," Jenny pleaded, pulling her mother back again. "Will you please stop? How are we supposed to ask them for help if you keep -"  
"What kind of help?" Dawn frowned, locking her eyes on the younger girl.  
"We're having trouble with vampires in L.A."  
"Vamps in L.A., what a shock," Gunn snorted.  
"Yeah, well, I've never been able to kill them so easily before, so it was a big shock," Jenny crossed her arms in a pose Angel would have been proud of. "And they've never sought me out before."

"Are you trying to say that you're a -" Dawn blinked a few times.  
"Angel's love child's a slayer?" Spike cried.


	5. Bad Boyfriend

Title: In This Lifetime Alone  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-13  
Disclaimers/Spoilers: Joss owns the Buffy crew, I own the newbies.  
Summary: We only get this one lifetime alone to own, the rest is out of our hands…  
A/N:

_5. Bad Boyfriend_

Jenny had never asked for any of this. Not to be born, not to be stuck in the middle of her mother's hate fest, not to be here trying to wreck the rep of a dead woman. Not to be looked at like a freak because of a man she'd never met.

Her aunt was right, there was something wrong with her mom. There had been ever since she'd been bitten by a werewolf and then rescued by Angel. Jennifer Angel was her legal name, her mother wouldn't even give Jenny her last name. It was a huge shock when some lawyer contacted her mom five years ago to tell her that Angel was dead and had another illegitimate child who should only be four years older than Jenny. Of course, Connor Angel was really about eighteen years older than her, while Henry Summers was only six years younger.

So now Dawn and Connor Angel were going head to head with Nina, and Jenny was told to sit out here like a good little girl. She'd never asked for any of this.

"You're the vamp's offspring?" A disdainful voice said from behind her.

Jenny rolled her eyes at the teenage boy talking to her. His dark hair and eyes would have been intriguing if he weren't so obviously two years younger than her. He wore a know-it-all smirk. He lost points for the smirk. He looked like he was used to getting everything he wanted. Which meant he was a brat.

"That's what she tells me."  
"And you think you could be a slayer?" the boy sneered.  
"_I_ don't think I could be anything," Jenny snapped, glaring at him. "I know I can do things normal girls can't."  
"I'm Edward Van Buren," Edward stuck out a hand to her.  
"And I'm not interested," Jenny crossed her arms tightly around her. This kid was annoying. Edward sneered again.

"Your mother's a werewolf. She's a freak."  
"You're mother's a slayer. So she's a freak too, you little -"  
"Eddie's better left alone," a female voice piped up from behind them. A girl with curly, sandy blonde hair was smiling at them. "He tends to bitter when girls don't fall all over him."  
"The name is Edward, _witch_," Edward snapped.  
"You say witch like it's a bad thing," the girl laughed, fluttering her eyelashes at him. "A witch was good enough for Mommy Dearest. In fact, didn't she used to screw around with witches?"  
"Shut up, Miller."  
"Bite me, Van Buren," the girl smiled brightly at him. "I'm Madison Miller, Graham and Amy Miller's oldest, and you've already met Eddie Van Buren, Kennedy Van Buren's brat."  
"Jennifer Angel -"  
"We heard, which is why Van Buren here is trying to scope you out," Madison sighed.  
"Great," Jenny rolled her eyes.  
"I think her mother's lying. She can't be Angel's child, she's too puny."  
"And your mother isn't?" Madison snapped, glaring at Eddie.  
"Yes, well, Spike always said Angel was fat."  
"You are an ass," Madison said, shoving him out of the hall.

The younger girl sighed, hands on her hips before turning back to Jenny. She gave her a small smile. Madison sat down on the bench across from her.

"So, you're going to be training here with us, huh?"  
"I hope so. If my mother doesn't make matters worse," Jenny looked nervously back at the door.  
"You're gonna be the oldest one here, so they'll probably stick you in with us."  
"Us?"  
"The oldest Scooby kids, as Dawn refers to us," Madison smiled.  
"Scooby kids?"  
"Wow, you really don't know a lot about us, do you?"  
"No. My mom only knew about - Angel and his crew," Jenny said nervously.  
"Well, Buffy's crew used to call themselves the Scooby gang, and we inherited the nickname. It's me, Molly Finn, Dakota Rayden, and unfortunately, Eddie VB."  
"And what are you learning?"  
"Well, Dakota and I are in the Magic cycle, Molly's in the Slayer cycle, and VB's in the Watcher cycle."  
"There are cycles?" Jenny blinked.  
"Yup. The girls get about three or four cycles that they could get into - Magic, Slayer, or Watcher are the most common. Guys normally get either Rogue Demon Hunter or Watcher. VB's a bit bitter cuz he's got no aptitude for Magic or Rogue Demon Hunter. My dad failed him on the test -"  
"Thus the hostility," Jenny nodded.  
"Oh, no. We've been like that since kindergarten," Madison laughed. "Mainly he's just pissed that Molly and Dakota hooked up this past summer. And the 'rents try to tell us nothing ever happens in the summertime."  
"Jennifer, we'd - " Dawn Angel said from the doorway, pausing when she saw Madison. "Maddie, don't you have somewhere to be? Like babysitting your brother?"  
"Yeah, just going now, Aunt D," Madison grinned at Jenny. "Well, see ya later, Jen!"


	6. I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You

Title: In This Lifetime Alone  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-13  
Disclaimers/Spoilers: Joss owns the Buffy crew, I own the newbies.  
Summary: Something's not adding up.  
A/N:

_6. I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You_

Illyria shook her head, giving them all the answer they had been holding their breath for. Jennifer Angel was not the third miracle child of the vampire Angel. No one outside this room knew that yet. Dawn sighed heavily as Connor re-read the DNA handout that Illyria had given him.

"She's not Angel's?" Connor asked again.  
"She's not. Someone lied to Nina," Dawn rubbed the chill from her arms. "Poor kid."  
"Or Nina lied to someone. She's been in contact with Wolfram & Hart since Dad and the rest of the Fang gang disappeared," Connor handed her another paper.  
"Could Nina have taken the break up that badly?" Dawn asked.  
"Badly enough to lie to your own daughter about her true father?" Connor replied.  
"That doesn't make sense."

"Well, your girl's got some slayer potential in her, but not enough to be a fully-empowered slayer," Xander called, strolling into Illyria's well-organized office.  
"That doesn't explain the vamps seeking her out, then," Dawn frowned. "Could it be her werewolf heritage?"  
"Vamps and weres normally give each other wide berth," Xander said. "I think someone's put a hit on her because she's Angel's daughter."  
"But she's not. Her and Connor's DNA have nothing in common. Neither does Henry's."  
"Huh."

Connor stared at the paper again. She looked a little like Angel, but that didn't mean she was his child. But she thought she was.

"Connor, it's up to you," Dawn finished.  
"What?" Connor shook his head sharply.  
"Do you think we should tell both of them? Or just Nina?"

Connor glanced out at the girl sitting with Madison. Nina was in the other room with Giles and Faith. He looked back at his wife.

"We don't tell her. That way we figure out what's really going on."  
"Connor, are you sure?" Dawn asked again.  
"She's got his eyes, Dawnie."  
"But they're not -" Illyria protested.  
"They're close enough. We don't tell Nina either. I don't want to have to fight with her so close to the full moon."  
"So we put her with the Scooby kids?" Xander asked.  
"Safest place to put her for now."  
"I'll go tell her."


End file.
